Thanks to Mark Parrish's powerplay tally late in the third period, the New York Islanders made Brad Shaw a winner in his NHL bench boss debut and handed Darryl Sutter's Flames their third straight defeat, 3-2 last night at Nassau Coliseum.

Sutter blamed the team's struggles on "three or four guys ... (who) haven't played well for a period of time now and it's cost us hockey games."

Guys like defencemen Andrew Ference and Jordan Leopold.

"They have got to be better competitors," Sutter said.

"They have to be a helluva lot better players for us and, to do that, they have to better competitors.

"They're not being asked to be a physical presence but they are being asked to be good in tougher areas.

"Right now, they're not."

With the game tied 2-2 midway through the third, Leopold's hooking penalty on Arron Asham proved costly.

On the ensuing powerplay, Parrish set up at the edge of the crease and redirected a crossing pass from Miroslav Satan into the cage.

The Flames had several good scoring chances in the late going but couldn't notch the equalizer.

Captain Jarome Iginla, who scored his 18th goal on the season in the first period, said the Isles just out-competed his squad.

"We knew they'd be fired up," Iginla said of the team whose front office was shuffled earlier in the day. Head coach Steve Stirling was fired and GM Mike Milbury announced he was stepping aside as soon as a successor is found.

"It was a close game and they found a way," Iginla said.

"They competed, they battled and they found a way to get that goal we didn't find a way to get."

The Flames did, however, hold a pair of leads in the game.

Flames grinder Darren McCarty opened the scoring 53 seconds into the clash.

Isles goalie Rick DiPietro -- in his first game back after missing five with a knee injury -- stopped Marcus Nilson's sharp-angle shot but the rebound went to the slot where McCarty, untouched to the danger zone, had no problem hitting the empty net.